


comfort

by fullmetalscully



Series: Moms Made Fullmetal Week 2020 [5]
Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Happy Ending, Loss of Parent(s), Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-28
Updated: 2020-05-28
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:21:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,711
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24421225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fullmetalscully/pseuds/fullmetalscully
Summary: Moms Made Fullmetal Week 2020 Day 5: Advice or Comfort or Bed-time story
Series: Moms Made Fullmetal Week 2020 [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1758241
Comments: 2
Kudos: 7
Collections: Moms Made Fullmetal Week 2020





	comfort

**Author's Note:**

> thank you  waddiwasiwitch  for creating such a lovely event for us to celebrate the mothers of fma

“Mum?”

Gracia stirred on the couch, her eyes opening blearily as Elicia called for her. In her moment of disorientation, Gracia was transported back over a decade, to when her daughter was only three and was calling to her in the night. Fighting off the memory and the brief nap she’d fallen into, Gracia returned to the present.

“Yes, Elicia?” she responded automatically, finally getting her bearings. She was in her living room, but her daughter wasn’t three years old anymore. She was seventeen and was standing by the door, looking nervous. Her hands wrung in front of her and she looked upset. “What’s wrong, honey?” Gracia asked, righting herself on the couch, immediately alert.

She hadn’t meant to nap, but the sun was warm coming through the window and the couch was incredibly comfortable. It must have been over an hour, as the last time she checked the clock, Gracia remembered thinking that Elicia would be home from school within the hour. It was coming close to anniversary of Maes’ death as well and that was always a hard month. Gracia had allowed herself the moment to escape.

“It’s…” Elicia sighed heavily and her hands stopped their ringing.

Gracia’s stomach dropped when Elicia’s face crumpled and she burst into tears. She was off the couch in a flash, rushing over to her daughter.

“Oh, Elicia,” she soothed as Elicia’s shoulders shook underneath her hands. Tears sprang to Gracia’s eyes too, as they always did when someone she loved what upset. “What’s wrong? Why are you crying?” She had a good idea what was wrong, but she needed her daughter to confirm it out loud. It would help her if she did.

“It’s – It’s –” She couldn’t seem to get the words out.

“Come here,” Gracia ushered, guiding Elicia over to the couch. Once seated, she held her daughter close, placing a hand on top of her head as she cradled it, rocking them both back and forth. This always comforted her as a child, and Gracia hoped the same was true now.

While dread was climbing up Gracia’s spine and fear was pickling her skin, she held off on questioning now. Every maternal instinct was screaming at her to find out why her baby girl was so upset, but Gracia knew that would do no good. Elicia could barely get it out earlier and needed to calm down first. When she was ready, she’d come to her. She’d taken that trait from her father, because Maes had been the exact same.

“Take all the time you need, sweetheart,” Gracia murmured, kissing the top of her head. “I’m right here, okay?”

Elicia nodded and wrapped her arms around Gracia’s torso, squeezing tight. Willing the tears away, Gracia held her daughter and tried to stave off the crying right now. She needed her mother to be strong.

“I’m sorry,” Elicia mumbled as she pulled away, finally calm. It had taken a while, but at least her tears were under control.

“You’ve got nothing to apologise for,” Gracia reassured her with a comforting smile.

“It was because of school,” Elicia admitted.

“What happened?”

“In English were we reading and working on a short story,” Elicia sniffed as she dabbed at her eyes. “And the kid lost their Dad.”

“Ah,” Gracia nodded in understanding. Elicia didn’t need to say anymore. She knew exactly where it was going.

“I made it through the class, but I had to hide in the toilets at lunch and I couldn’t stop crying. It just came out of nowhere.” Elicia sniffed hard and wiped at her fresh, wet eyes. “How do you do it, Mum?”

Gracia knew this day would come. She knew her daughter would ask her this question, and she had to be perfectly honest with her.

“I don’t know,” she replied honestly. “I won’t lie to you, every day it’s hard. _So_ hard. Sometimes I don’t even want to get out of bed, even now.” Elicia nodded in understanding. “I miss him so much. But I know I’m not alone.” Gracia smoothed down her daughter’s hair, cupping her cheek. “I’ve got you.”

“I know, but…” Elicia huffed. She wasn’t satisfied with the answer. “I don’t know,” she mumbled sadly. “I just don’t want to burst into tears in school again.”

“I know, honey. It’s hard when it hits us out of nowhere like that. Do you want me to have a word with the teacher?”

Elicia’s expression turned frightened. “Please don’t,” she begged. “I don’t want to cause any bother.”

“It’s all right,” Gracia soothed her. “I’m not going to walk into your class. That wouldn’t be a very “cool Mum” thing to do,” she joked, pushing Elicia’s shoulder playfully. It made her smile and let out a quiet laugh, at least. “I thought about maybe phoning the school and I can let your teacher know what happened. Or, you can approach her yourself in class?”

Elicia looked terrified. “I think if I do, I might burst into tears again.”

“Oh, honey.” Gracia pulled her daughter back against her body in a side hug, kissing the top of her head. “I know,” she murmured. “I’ll phone them and ask to speak to the teacher, all right? You won’t need to worry about a thing.”

“Thanks, Mum,” Elicia whispered.

“Of course, sweetheart.”

The two sat there, comforting one another, for a while. The longer the silence and calm settled over them, the more Gracia wanted to get what was on her mind out there.

“It’s hard to this day,” Gracia whispered. “Sometimes when I’m out I can hear your father’s laugh, or I spot him for a second in the crowd. I thought I was going crazy, but your Uncle Roy told me he experienced the same thing.”

“Really?” Elicia sounded incredibly surprised.

“Your father is never far from my thoughts. Same with your Uncle Roy.”

“Why is he an “uncle”?” Elicia asked for the first time in her life.

“Because he and your father were very close,” Gracia revealed. “Almost like brothers.”

“Oh… I just thought it was because he was good friends with Dad.”

“He was. They went through a lot together in the war and came out brothers.”

“Did Dad ever talk to you about it?” Elicia asked quietly.

Gracia shook her head. “No. Not properly. But I wasn’t blind or stupid. He was doing it to protect me,” she chuckled. “But I could always read Maes very well. I knew when he was struggling and eventually managed to get enough from him so I could help. That was all I needed.”

“Is that why he was so happy all the time?” Elicia asked.

“… Yes and no. Before the war he was the same. He just came back with some extra barriers we had to fight through together, but he was still the same man I’d fallen in love with. The happy-go-lucky guy that wouldn’t let anything get him down.”

“I always remember that,” Elicia murmured. “He was the happiest person alive, I always thought,” she smiled. “I wanted to be just like him.”

“You are, darling,” Gracia reassured her, giving her a quick squeeze. “I’ve never come across such an enthusiastic and happy teenager,” Gracia chuckled. “You _are_ your father’s daughter,” she grinned.

“Thank you, Mum,” Elicia replied, sincere. Her arms tightened around Gracia’s torso before they fell loose. “You’ve been a big help.”

“And I’ll always be here for you, okay?”

“I know, Mum. We’re in this together.”

“We are,” Gracia smiled, giving her daughter another tight squeeze.

“I love you.”

“Love you too, Elicia. So does your father, and he’s so proud of the young woman you’ve become.”

“Do you think he’s up there watching us?” Elicia asked, looking up at the ceiling.

“It’s a lovely thought,” Gracia replied, watching her daughter. “I like to think so. He used to talk about you to anyone who would listen, and to those who wouldn’t as well, so in my head he’s watching you grow up, becoming prouder of you every day.”

“I like to think he’s watching over you while I’m at school,” Elicia replied. “Just in case you–” She cut herself off, and it piqued Gracia’s interest.

“In case of what?”

“Oh, I mean,” Elicia stammered then groaned. “This is going to sound so bad,” she muttered.

“It’s all right, you can tell me.”

“Oh, it was, um, to make sure you weren’t alone during the day,” Elicia admitted quietly, making Gracia pause.

“Do you think about this often?” she asked, concerned.

Elicia looked up at her mother shyly and nodded. “I hate leaving in the morning because I don’t want you to be alone all day.”

“You don’t need to worry about me like that,” she smiled, cupping Elicia’s cheek. “All right? I keep myself busy. Your Uncle Roy comes round for lunch sometimes, and so does Aunt Riza.”

“I thought I wasn’t supposed to call her that,” Elicia questioned.

Gracia smiled knowingly. “You can now, just between us.”

“Why?”

“Well… It’s a secret, but…”

Elicia just gaped at her. “I knew it,” she snapped, clapping her hands together once in victory. “I knew it!”

Gracia chuckled. “I think everyone did.”

“Damn. For how long?”

“They’ve known each other for decades.” Elicia’s eyes widened. “Probably since then.”

“And they went all that time not being together?”

Gracia nodded. “They had to.”

“Wow… What else is going on?” she asked eagerly.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean with them, or with anyone else.” Elicia crossed her legs underneath her and leaned forwards, elbows on her knees. “We haven’t talked about this stuff before.”

She was right, they hadn’t. Gracia had to admit, it was another way to bond with her daughter, now that she was old enough to understand. Plus, Gracia had kept the secret of Roy and Riza being in love since Maes had told her, fourteen years ago. It was nice to finally talk and confide in someone about it.

“How long have you got?” Gracia smiled wryly.

Elicia grinned. “I’ll go get some popcorn.”

Gracia laughed after her as she darted from the room. Shaking her head fondly, she smiled, hearing Elicia rummage around in cupboards in the kitchen.

_Yep, Meas. She’s just like you. Nosy as can be._


End file.
